Jammu Tawi, Mar 19: Ruling out any possibility of communicable disease at Badhal village in Rajouri district, where 17 people died due to mysterious illness earlier this year, the government on Wednesday said that toxic substances in food and environmental samples led to these deaths.
As Question Hour began, NC’s Javed Iqbal Choudhary raised the demand for a CBI probe into the deaths after Minister for Health and Medical Education Sakina Ittoo informed the House that half-a-dozen toxins were detected from samples collected in the area as well as from viscera of the deceased.
Replying to a question raised by Javaid Iqbal Choudhary in the Legislative Assembly the government in a written reply, stated that clinical and laboratory investigations conducted by several institutions, including the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Chandigarh, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (IITR) Lucknow, and the Defence Research and Development Establishment (DRDE) Gwalior, identified the presence of harmful chemicals in food and environmental samples. “PGIMER Chandigarh detected Aluminium and Cadmium in the samples. CSIR-IITR Lucknow found Aldicarb sulfate, Acetamiprid, Diethyl dithiocarbamate, and Chlorphenapyr. DRDE-DRDO Gwalior identified Chlorphenapyr and Abrin in samples of Sattu (a flour-based food) and maize bread. National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in Ghaziabad confirmed the presence of Chlorphenapyr and Chlorpyriphos in food samples. Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) Chandigarh found Chlorphenapyr in the viscera samples of all 17 deceased individuals,” reads the reply.
“These findings revealed that the illness and subsequent deaths were likely caused by the ingestion of contaminated food rather than a bacterial or viral infection,” it added.
The reply also provided details on the number of patients affected and the treatment protocols followed by the Government Medical College (GMC) hospitals in Rajouri and Jammu. “Sixty four patients were admitted to GMC Rajouri, of which 41 were discharged after initial treatment. Seventeen patients were referred to GMC Jammu, and one was sent to PGIMER Chandigarh for further treatment,” it said.
“Both GMC Rajouri and GMC Jammu followed strict Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for patient care, including isolation wards, mandatory use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and multidisciplinary consultations involving neurologists, nephrologists, and other specialists,” the reply stated, adding, “The ex-gratia relief was provided to the families of the deceased. The Deputy Commissioner of Rajouri disbursed Rs. 100,000 each to the families of three deceased individuals from Budhal village, while an additional Rs. 50,000 was provided through the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Kotranka.”
